1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to transporting rifles and other guns to and from hunting expeditions, target practice or other destinations. More specifically, the present invention provides an adjustable and removable gun rack for securely storing rifles during transit that replaces head rests in a vehicle and utilizes the same mounting hardware of the head rests to support upstanding gun support racks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many individuals are hunters who derive great pleasure from hunting and other outdoor activities associated thereto. Individuals may hunt for sport or recreation, while others hunt animals as a source of sustenance. Some hunters choose to hunt with a bow and arrow; however, the most popular hunting means is a rifle. The present invention is related to the transportation of a rifle or similar weapon to and from a hunting area, and further for general weapon transport in areas where storage of a gun within a vehicle is permitted.
Whether heading to the hunting grounds or to target practice, gun owners often find that they need to transport their guns inside of a motor vehicle. Often, a gun owner will transport the guns in a stowed position within a private vehicle to avoid the need for obtaining special gun carrying permits. When rifles are transported, but not stored in a gun case or gun rack during transport, the rifle owner introduces the risk of damaging the rifle as the rifle may be unsupported and move around in the vehicle due to shifts in moment during transport. Even when guns are stored in a gun case, if multiple guns are stored inside, the guns pose a risk of damaging one another while in the case during transit. A better solution is to store rifles in a gun rack during transit. There are, however, two main problems that exist with motor vehicle gun racks. First, typical gun racks are permanently mounted inside the cab of a motor vehicle. It is very common to see a gun rack mounted near the rear window of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck. It is not always desirable to have a gun rack as a permanent fixture inside one's vehicle. Second, gun racks are typically only designed for use in larger vehicles, such as trucks and sport utility vehicles. Small vehicle owners are left with only the option of storing rifles in a gun case and packaging the rifles such that they do not sustain damage during transport.
The present invention provides a gun rack that is suitable for any vehicle having two side-by-side seats with removable head rests. Head rests in motor vehicles generally employ a dual post or single post mechanism that allows retainment of the head rest and height adjustment thereof. The posts engage a corresponding receiving slot that securely holds the posts in place, while a push button release allows for its vertical adjustment or complete removal. The present invention contemplates removal of an existing head rest, while utilizing the existing hardware thereof to support one or a plurality of upstanding gun racks that can support a gun by itself or across a span of two side-by-side vehicle seats.
Several applications have published and patents been granted to devices that attempt to provide a means of securely storing rifles and other guns during transit, while also protecting the rifles from damage. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/047,992 to Fabian describes a holder for a bow that attaches to the backside of a vehicle seat to securely store the bow during transit. At the top of the device there is a loop that is placed over the head rest of a seat in a vehicle. When the head rest loop is in place, the bow holding device rests against the backside of the seat in a vertical orientation and is fastened to the underside of the vehicle seat by an attachment means. The device has a bow holding pocket, which may also store arrows at its base. A user places the lower end of the bow and the pointed end of any arrows into the bow holding pocket. The device also comprises a strap midway between the bow holding pocket and the head rest loop of the device. The purpose of the strap is to secure the bow, and any arrows that may be accompanying the bow into the device during transit.
Similar to the Fabian device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,909 to Burnett describes a gun rack that attaches to the backside of a vehicle seat to securely store rifles during transit. The device has a set of rifle holding pockets stacked one on top of the next. Each rifle holding pocket allows for a user to insert a rifle through the pocket. A rifle rests in the pocket during transport in a horizontal orientation. At the top of the series of rifle holding pockets is a loop that is placed over the head rest of a seat in a vehicle. When the head rest loop is in place, the rifle holding pockets rest against the backside of the seat and are fastened to the underside of the vehicle seat by an attachment means. One embodiment of the Burnett device incorporates the use of bungee cords to secure the bottom of the device to the underside of a vehicle seat. The Burnett patent describes both open pockets—where a rifle is inserted through the pocket and emerges from the other end of the pocket, so that both ends of the rifle are exposed—as well as sealable pockets for storage of rifles. The sealable rifle holding pockets are large and able to conceal an entire gun inside and can be sealed once the gun is placed in the pocket by a means, such as a zipper. The sealable pocket embodiment of the Burnett device attaches to the backside of a bench-style seat in a vehicle.
A problem shared by the Fabian and Burnett devices is that in order for a user to utilize either device, there must be space behind a seat sufficient enough to store the guns or bow. While this is unlikely to be a common problem, as any vehicle with a back seat would be able to use this device when strapped to the backside of a front seat in a motor vehicle, there are vehicles that do not have space behind the front seat of the vehicle. Some small cars are two-seater vehicles, as well as some small cab trucks. A gun or bow owner with one of these particular vehicles would be unable to use either the Fabian or the Burnett devices for storing his or her gun or bow. Unlike the devices described in the Fabian and Burnett patents, the present invention can be used in any vehicle where the seats have removable head rests. The present invention is not limited by the size of the vehicle since it utilizes existing head space within the cab of a vehicle that is otherwise occupied by the occupant head rests.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,969 to Cardenas describes another gun rack that mounts to the backside of a vehicle's backseat. The Cardenas device can hold multiple rifles, but is limited to use to vehicles wherein there is a backseat and a space behind the backseat to store the device while holding the guns. The device sits behind the backseat of a vehicle at an angle such that the muzzles of the rifles that are harnessed into the device and are pointed towards the interior ceiling of the vehicle. The device further employs a gun holding plank with a rifle butt holding rack located at the base of the device, along with a rifle muzzle holding rack at the top of the device. The muzzle holding rack also has extending from it, in the opposite direction of the muzzle holding portion of the rack, a lip that extends beyond the plane of the plank over the top of the backseat of the vehicle. The device is secured by this lip to the backseat of the vehicle with a seatbelt.
To use the Cardenas device, a user places the rifles into the rifle rack, resting the butt of the gun in the rifle butt holding rack and the muzzle into the muzzle holding rack such that the muzzle points upwards and towards the ceiling of the vehicle. The length of the device is capable of extending to accommodate longer rifles if necessary. The device incorporates a strap that can be secured over all the guns once the guns have been placed in the rack. The strap fastens across all the rifles held by the device. While the device secures the rifles during transit, the device is limited for use in vehicles that are capable of accommodating the size of the device and the size of the guns held in a vertical orientation. The present invention can be used in any vehicle wherein the seats have removable head rests. The present invention is not limited by the size of the vehicle because it extends upward into existing head space within the cab of a vehicle and supports a gun in a horizontal position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,799 to Horton describes an adjustable gun rack that straps to a bench seat in a vehicle. The device is capable of holding a single rifle oriented in a horizontal position and can either strap to the backside of a bench seat or the front of the seat portion of a bench seat in a vehicle—the area where a passenger seated on the bench seat may rest their legs. The device has two straps that attach to the rifle holding case by a hook system, such as a carabineer and receiving grommet. The two straps are adjustable and can wrap around the back support portion of a bench seat to secure the device to the backside of a bench seat, or the seat cushion of a bench seat to secure the device to the front of the seat portion in a bench seat in a vehicle. The rifle rests in a padded rifle holding pouch that zips shut. The device serves dual purposes. The rifle holding case, in conjunction with one of the adjustable straps, can serve as an over-the-shoulder gun tote during a hunting expedition or a case for storage during transport in a vehicle.
The Horton adjustable gun rack device is limited to holding a single rifle. Hunting is often a group sport where individuals gather together with friends and then travel to a hunting location. When multiple hunters travel together, or an individual hunter has multiple rifles he or she would like to take to the hunting grounds or target practice, secure storage of the plurality of guns during transportation is necessary. The present invention is capable of holding multiple rifles simultaneously during transit. Additionally, the structure and means of attaching the Horton device differs from the present invention, wherein head rest posts are utilized to support upstanding gun racks across a pair of vehicle seats.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,537 to Thedieck describes an adjustable rifle muzzle holding belt that attaches to two points along the interior frame of a vehicle. The muzzle holding belt can be adjusted to be longer or shorter depending on the number of rifles that need to be stored within the device and the amount of space available to the user for gun storage purposes in the transportation vehicle. Once the adjustable muzzle holding belt is mounted to the interior frame of a vehicle, a user guides the rifle muzzles through the loops in the belt such that the guns achieve a vertical orientation, with the muzzle of the rifles pointed directly upwards while the gun stocks rest on the floor of the vehicle. The constraints associated with using the Thedieck device include the fact that the device must be mounted to the interior frame of a motor vehicle and that the rifles secured by the device must fit into a space that is perpendicular to the length of the adjustable muzzle holding belt (i.e. the vertical space within the vehicle). Use of the Thedieck device in a small vehicle or a vehicle that has limited space for storing rifles would be impractical. The present invention can be used in any sized vehicle because it utilizes the space wherein seat head rests are traditionally located within the cab of a vehicle, which is a space that exists in any vehicle with a side-by-side seating configuration employing removable head rests.
It is therefore submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing removable gun rack devices for use in motor vehicles. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.